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“Wait what? Are you suggesting the watch doesn’t need battery to function? That cannot be possible.”, challenged my cousin after receiving the Seiko watch I bought him for his 35th birthday. Hearing his words of ignorance, I gave him my baffled look in return, pretending to be in a state of huge disbelief in an attempt to make him look stupid and went on and exclaimed “Of course man! It’s a friggin (mind my language, readers) MECHANICAL watch. There’s no electric signal, no sensor, no chips whatsoever in it, just pure engineering. That it’s automatic also means that so long as you keep this thing on your wrist as you go about your day, IT WILL CONTINUE TO TICK and very likely outlive you with proper maintenance.” He was shocked.

(The back of the Seiko I gave my cousin - what's battery?)

It’s satisfying to see that how a 35-year-old man could still be intrigued by new knowledge, and on top of that a sense of genuine discovery. I’m very glad that my gift has now become a reliable (remember, you don’t need to worry about the issue of power) companion to him whom I consider a very good friend. This little exchange inspired me to set up Lengbeau, a place for dispersing and exchanging information on anything that has to do with mechanical watches. Lengbeau aims to cultivate appreciation for the eternal beauty of mechanical watches and the engineering that went into manufacturing a watch, that kind of traditional craftsmanship that not only survived the age of automation and digitalization, but prospered into an art form in its own right, mesmerizing people ranging from watch rookies looking to invest in their first “serious” watch to professional collectors who would (happily) invest USD6mn in a steel Patek Philippe chronograph (read more here:http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2012-10-11/a-25-million-watch-collection.html).A good mechanical watch really is for life, and beyond. It is my aspiration to conduct this blog with the kind of dignity and genuineness demonstrated by a watch-maker, I might not know everything about watches, but I’ll do my best to serve my audience and to the watch community in general through Lengbeau.Peace,Jason